Headgear pads and methods of attachment

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for attachment to headgear is disclosed including a plurality of headgear pads each having a sloped shape, each headgear pad having a base, an apex and a sloped portion connected between the base and apex, wherein the base is adapted to be physically attached to the headgear. Also disclosed is a method for attaching a plurality of headgear pads to headgear for use by a wearer, the method including selecting a pattern for placement of the plurality of headgear pads onto the headgear, marking the headgear with the pattern, attaching a first headgear pad selected from a plurality of headgear pads to the headgear in accordance to the marking and continuing attaching headgear pads until the pattern is complete.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 62/387,921, filed Jan. 12, 2016, and U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 62/346,773, filed Jun. 7, 2016. All priorapplications are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

BACKGROUND

Field

The present disclosure relates generally to impact mitigation devicesfor headgear and their method for attachment. More specifically, thepresent invention relates to headgear pads physically connected toheadgear to mitigate the effects of impact on a wearer, especially theeffects on the wearer's brain.

Description of the Related Art

While various sports and physical activities are widely considered tohave a variety of positive effects on their participants, unfortunately,science is increasingly recognizing the negative effects as well. Thatis especially true regarding those sports and physical activities thatinclude a substantial chance of impact, especially impact to aparticipant's head. Some of the sports and physical activities known tocause large numbers of head injuries include bicycling, football,lacrosse, baseball, softball, basketball, water skiing, soccer,skateboarding, downhill skiing, snowboarding, hockey and horsebackriding. While football often has a reputation for causing the greatestnumber of head injuries, it has been reported that bicycling leads to agreater number of head injuries treaded in U.S. hospital emergencyrooms. However, the precise impact of concussive and sub-concussiveimpacts over time is still in the early stages of study.

Although many sports have adopted strict helmet standards for theirparticipants, and superficial cuts and bruises are correspondinglyreduced, impacts to the head are still known to cause large numbers ofcases of traumatic brain injury (TBI), including concussions and ChronicTraumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). The problem is so widespread thataccording to a press release from the Centers for Disease Control andPrevention (CDC) in 2007, “experts estimate that 1.6 to 3.8 millionsports and recreation-related TBIs occur each year in the U.S.” Asubsequent study led by Dr. Alan Zhang of the University of California,in San Francisco, Calif., reviewed health insurance claims for almost 9million Americans and found that concussion diagnoses more than doubledbetween 2007 and 2014. The most significant jump was seen among 10- to14-year-olds, whose injury rate more than tripled, and they werefollowed closely by 15- to 19-year-olds, the study found.

Concussion injuries are associated with rapid acceleration due toimpact. While the brain is protected from light trauma by beingsurrounded by cerebrospinal fluid, there are limits to this protectionthat are often exceeded in sports and physical activities that cause thehead to accelerate rapidly. Rapid acceleration can cause linear,rotational, angular and perhaps even wave-like movement of the brain.Concussion is caused by impact forces, in which the head encounterssomething at high speed, and impulsive forces, such as if aparticipant's headgear-covered head hits something and their head snapsforward or backward. There may also be instances where the forceimparted is great enough to cause the brain to impact the side of theskull. Depending on the circumstances, concussion causes short term, andsometimes long term, cognitive symptoms including confusion,disorientation, difficulty focusing attention, changes in sleepingpatterns, difficulty reasoning and performing everyday activities.Receiving a second concussion or subsequent concussion before the firstconcussion is completely healed has also been associated with long termdamage. Additionally, the long-term damage of repeated, sub-concussiveblows to the head is only recently being revealed. A 2010 Purdue studyof high school football players concluded, “[p]layers sustaining themost sub-concussive hits (were) most likely to show cognitiveimpairment.”

While concussions are now widely known to be damaging, CTE, as a resultof sports trauma, is also coming under increasing scrutiny. CTE wasfirst described by Dr. Bennet Omalu in his paper titled, “ChronicTraumatic Encephalopathy in a National Football League Player,”published in the journal Neurosurgery in 2005. Subsequently, BostonUniversity established a CTE center to further study the problem. It hasbeen reported that Boston University has identified signs of CTE innearly 60 former professional football players when their brains wereanalyzed postmortem. CTE is thought to be caused by repeated blows tothe head, which damage brain tissue and lead to a buildup of an abnormalprotein called tau.

Concerns about traumatic brain injury are likely negatively affectingparticipation in otherwise beneficial sports and physical activities atall levels. For example, a survey conducted by the University ofPittsburgh Medical Center in October 2015 found that 1 in 3 parents“live in fear that their child will get a concussion” and that 1 in 4“do not let their kids play some contact sports because of fear ofconcussion.” For those who choose to participate, the risks of traumaticbrain injury are a serious and legitimate concern. Unfortunately,helmets, caps and other headgear are clearly not preventing concussions,significant sub-concussive impacts and other events contributing tobrain trauma.

In view of the foregoing, it would be beneficial to mitigate the forcesimparted to the brains of participants in sports and physicalactivities.

SUMMARY

In some embodiments, the present disclosure describes headgear pads andmethods of attachment.

In some embodiments, the present disclosure describes an apparatus forattachment to headgear including a plurality of headgear pads eachhaving a sloped shape, each headgear pad having a base, an apex and asloped portion connected between the base and apex, wherein the base isadapted to be physically attached to the headgear.

In some embodiments, the present disclosure describes an apparatus forattachment to headgear including a plurality of headgear pads eachhaving a conical shape, each headgear pad having a base, an apex and asloped portion connected between the base and apex, wherein the base isadapted to be physically attached to the headgear.

In some other embodiments, the present disclosure describes a method forattaching a plurality of headgear pads to headgear for use by a wearer,the method including selecting a pattern for placement of the pluralityof headgear pads onto the headgear, marking the headgear with thepattern, attaching a first headgear pad selected from a plurality ofheadgear pads to the headgear in accordance to the marking andcontinuing attaching headgear pads until the pattern is complete.

Other features will be apparent from the description, drawings andclaims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The figures depict embodiments for purposes of illustration only. Oneskilled in the art will readily recognize from the following descriptionthat alternative embodiments of the structures illustrated herein may beemployed without departing from the principles described herein,wherein:

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of an embodiment of a plurality ofheadgear pads attached to a football helmet, according to the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 1B is a close-up, perspective view of an embodiment of one headgearpad attached to the football helmet from FIG. 1A, according to thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a plurality of headgearpads attached to a lacrosse helmet worn by a user, according to thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a plurality of headgearpads attached to a baseball cap, according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a headgear pad attachedto a bicycle helmet for testing purposes, according to the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a plurality of headgearpads attached to a football helmet for testing purposes, according tothe present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the plurality ofheadgear pads attached to the football helmet of FIG. 5 for testingpurposes, according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 7A is a first chart of results of impact testing corresponding tothe embodiment of the plurality of headgear pads attached to thefootball helmet of FIG. 6, according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 7B is a second chart of results of impact testing corresponding tothe embodiment of the plurality of headgear pads attached to thefootball helmet of FIG. 6, according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a close-up, perspective view of an embodiment of one headgearpad, according to the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a close-up, perspective view of an embodiment of one headgearpad attached to the football helmet from FIG. 5, according to thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 10 is a close-up, perspective view of an embodiment of one headgearpad, according to the present disclosure; and

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of an embodiment of attachment of a plurality ofheadgear pads, according to the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description and drawings are illustrative and are not tobe construed as limiting. Numerous specific details are described toprovide a thorough understanding of the disclosure. However, in certaininstances, well known or conventional details are not described in orderto avoid obscuring the description.

Reference in this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment” orthe like means that a particular feature, structure, characteristic,advantage or benefit described in connection with the embodiment may beincluded in at least one embodiment of the disclosure, but may not beexhibited by other embodiments. The appearances of the phrase “in oneembodiment” in various places in the specification are not necessarilyall referring to the same embodiment, nor are separate or alternativeembodiments mutually exclusive of other embodiments. Similarly, variousrequirements are described which may be requirements for someembodiments but not for other embodiments. The specification anddrawings are to be regarded in an illustrative sense rather than arestrictive sense. Various modifications may be made thereto withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope as set forth in the claims.

Described herein are example embodiments of headgear pads and methodsfor attaching headgear pads to headgear to reduce the effects of impactto a headgear wearer. The examples discussed herein are intended to beillustrative only to assist in explanation of the apparatuses, devices,systems and methods described. Features or components shown in thedrawings or discussed below should not be taken as mandatory for anyspecific implementation of any of these the apparatuses, devices,systems or methods unless specifically designated as mandatory. For easeof reading and clarity, certain components, modules, or methods may bedescribed solely in connection with a specific figure. Any failure tospecifically describe a combination or sub- combination of componentsshould not be understood as an indication that any combination orsub-combination is not envisioned. Also, for any methods described,regardless of whether the method is described in conjunction with a flowchart, it should be understood that unless otherwise specified orrequired by context, any explicit or implicit ordering of stepsperformed in the execution of a method does not imply that those stepsmust be performed in the order presented but instead may be performed ina different order or in parallel.

Referring to FIG. 1A, a perspective view of an embodiment of a pluralityof headgear pads attached to a football helmet 100, according to thepresent disclosure, is shown. More specifically, the plurality ofheadgear pads attached to a football helmet 100 includes a plurality ofheadgear pads 105 each attached to a football helmet 110. The footballhelmet 110 is a type of headgear used by football participants andincludes a facemask 115. As shown in FIG. 1A, each headgear pad 105 isconical in shape.

FIG. 1B is a close-up, perspective view of an embodiment of one headgearpad attached to the football helmet from FIG. 1A, according to thepresent disclosure. In some embodiments, the headgear pad 105 includesan apex 120, a base 125 and a sloped portion 130. In some embodiments,the apex 120 is a sharp point. In some embodiments, the apex 120 isrounded. In some embodiments, the apex 120 is a hollow point. In someembodiments, the apex 120 is a semi-hollow point having a depth of lessthan the height of the headgear pad 105. In some embodiments, the apex120 is a hollow point having a depth equal to the height of the headgearpad 105. In some embodiments, the apex 120 is solid and does not containan aperture in the headgear pad 105. The apex 120 is connected to thebase 125 by the sloped portion 130. In some embodiments, the base 125 isconcave to approximate the curvature of the helmet the headgear pad 105is designed to be attached to, as shown here, the football helmet 110.In some embodiments, the base 125 is flat. In some embodiments, eachheadgear pad 105 is conical in shape. In some embodiments, each headgearpad 105 is pyramidal in shape. In some embodiments, each headgear pad105 is hemispherical in shape. In some embodiments, the base 125 rangesin diameter from 0.5 to 2 inches, but the headgear pads 105 are notlimited to any particular size or range of sizes. In some embodiments, adistance between a center of the base 125 and the apex 120 ranges from0.5 to 2 inches, but the headgear pads 105 are not limited to anyparticular size or range of sizes. In some embodiments, the slopedportion 130 forms a 45 degree slope angle, but the headgear pads 105 arenot limited to any particular slope angle or range of slope angles.

In some embodiments, the headgear pad 105 is made from materialsselected from polyurethane foam (flexible), polyurethane foam (memory),urethane, plastic with rubber coating, medium weight plastic, alightweight plastic mix, rubber and jelled substances. As shown in FIG.1A and FIG. 1B, the headgear pads 105 are made of rubber. In someembodiments, the headgear pad 105 is made from various combinations ofpolyurethane foam (flexible), polyurethane foam (memory), urethane,plastic with rubber coating, medium weight plastic, a lightweightplastic mix, rubber and jelled substances. The headgear pads 105 are notlimited to a particular material or combination of materials other thanthose materials be similarly deformable to absorb at least some of aforce of impact.

In some embodiments, the headgear pad 105 is attached to various typesof helmets, such as helmets designed for bicycling, football, lacrosse,baseball, softball, basketball, water skiing, soccer, skateboarding,downhill skiing, snowboarding, hockey, and horseback riding, but theheadgear pad is not limited to any particular type of helmet. In someembodiments, the headgear pad 105 is attached to other forms of headgearsuch as caps, including baseball caps and scrimmage caps. In someembodiments, the headgear pad 105 is attached to a helmet using one ormore of adhesives, double-sided tape, Velcro, glue, straps and bolts,but the headgear pad is not limited to any particular form ofattachment. In some embodiments, the headgear pad 105 is attached to acap using one or more of adhesives, double-sided tape, Velcro, glue,straps and bolts, but the headgear pad is not limited to any particularform of attachment.

In some embodiments, the headgear pad 105 is pyramidal in shape. In someembodiments, the headgear pad 105 is formed into a “sloped shape” with aproximal end physically attached to headgear and a distal end furthestfrom the headgear. With regard to a conical shape, the proximal end of aheadgear pad 105 is the base 125 and the distal end is the apex 120.With regard to the sloped shape, the proximal end of a headgear pad 105is larger than the distal end.

Referring to FIG. 2, a perspective view of an embodiment of a pluralityof headgear pads attached to a lacrosse helmet worn by a user 200,according to the present disclosure, is shown. More specifically, theplurality of headgear pads attached to a lacrosse football helmet 200includes a plurality of headgear pads 205 each attached to a scrimmagecap covering the upper surface of a lacrosse football helmet 210. Thelacrosse football helmet 210 includes a facemask 215. As shown in FIG.2, the headgear pads 205 are made of jelled substance.

Referring to FIG. 3, a perspective view of an embodiment of a pluralityof headgear pads attached to a baseball cap 300, according to thepresent disclosure, is shown. More specifically, the plurality ofheadgear pads attached to a baseball cap 300 includes a plurality ofheadgear pads 305 each attached to a baseball cap 310. As shown in FIG.3, the headgear pads 305 are made of polyurethane memory foam andattached with Velcro. In some embodiments, the headgear pads 305 includean aperture 335 passing partway through the headgear pads. Note that theconfiguration of three headgear pads 305 on the baseball cap 310 shownin FIG. 3 is designed for testing.

Referring to FIG. 4, a perspective view of an embodiment of a headgearpad attached to a bicycle helmet for testing purposes 400, according tothe present disclosure, is shown. More specifically, the headgear padattached to a bicycle helmet for testing purposes 400 includes a singleheadgear pad 405 attached to bicycling helmet 410. As shown in FIG. 4,the headgear pad 405 is made of a lightweight plastic mix. Note that theconfiguration of headgear pads 405 on the bicycling helmet 410 shown inFIG. 4 is designed for testing. The helmet 410 is connected to testingapparatus 440 designed to cause the headgear pad 405 attached to thehelmet 410 to impact a testing anvil 445.

Referring to FIG. 5, a perspective view of an embodiment of a pluralityof headgear pads attached to a football helmet for testing purposes 500,according to the present disclosure, is shown. More specifically, theplurality of headgear pads attached to a football helmet for testingpurposes 500 includes three headgear pads 505 attached to footballhelmet 510. As shown in FIG. 5, the headgear pads 505 are made ofpolyurethane memory foam and attached to the football helmet 510 withVelcro. Note that the configuration of headgear pads 505 shown in FIG. 5is designed for testing. One helmet pad 510 includes an aperture 535 atits apex.

Referring to FIG. 6, a perspective view of an embodiment of theplurality of headgear pads attached to the football helmet of FIG. 5 fortesting purposes 600, according to the present disclosure, is shown.More specifically, the plurality of headgear pads attached to thefootball helmet of FIG. 5 for testing purposes 600 includes threeheadgear pads 505 attached to football helmet 510. As shown in FIG. 6,the headgear pads 505 are made of polyurethane memory foam and attachedto the helmet 510 with Velcro. Note that the configuration of headgearpads 505 shown in FIG. 6 is being tested by being impacted against atest anvil 645 which is causing one of the headgear pads 650 to becompressed as shown in FIG. 6 due to an impact of the type encounteredin football. During such impacts, some of the force that would have beentransmitted to the wearer's brain, potentially causing TBI, includingconcussions and/or CTE, is instead absorbed by the deformation of theheadgear pads 505. Note that the headgear pads 505, other than headgearpad 650, may or may not be compressed as shown in this test in FIG. 6.

Referring to FIG. 7A, a first chart of results of impact testing 700corresponding to the embodiment of the plurality of headgear padsattached to the football helmet of FIG. 6, according to the presentdisclosure, is shown. The testing was performed by Chesapeake Testing,an independent testing laboratory located at 4603B Compass Point Road,Belcamp, Md. 21017. The first chart 700 shows a Severity Index (SI) 755of 68. This corresponds to a 56% reduction in impact severity of thehelmet 510 with headgear pads 505 having an SI of 68 as compared withthe helmet 510 without helmet pads having an SI of 156. Severity Indexis standard defined by the National Operating Committee on Standards forAthletic Equipment (NOCSAE). According to NOCSAE, “NOCSAE' s SeverityIndex (SI) is a threshold value for a general category of head injuriesbased on scientific research and published data. SI is a method formeasuring a helmet's ability to reduce impact forces to the head,integrating acceleration over time. SI provides an accurate way toassess head injury risk that can be replicated across laboratories andunder different impact scenarios. NOCSAE standards are performance-basedand are design neutral so that manufacturers are not restricted indesign or engineering, allowing innovation in design.”(http://nocsae.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/NOCSAE-Severity-Index-FAQs-1-2015.pdf)

Referring to FIG. 7B, a second chart of results of impact testing 700corresponding to the embodiment of the plurality of headgear padsattached to the football helmet of FIG. 6, according to the presentdisclosure, is shown. The second chart 700 shows a Severity Index (SI)755 of 68, corresponding to a 56% reduction in Severity Index (SI) asdescribed above. This NOCSAE-compliant test result demonstrates asubstantial reduction in impact forces due to the deformation of theheadgear pads 505 absorbing those forces, thereby reducing the risk ofTBI, including concussion and CTE.

Referring to FIG. 8, a close-up, perspective view of an embodiment ofone headgear pad 800, according to the present disclosure, is shown. Theheadgear pad 805 is formed from polyurethane flexible form. The headgearpad 805 has an apex 820 containing an aperture 835.

Referring to FIG. 9, a close-up, perspective view of an embodiment ofone headgear pad 900 attached to the football helmet from FIG. 5,according to the present disclosure, is shown. The headgear pad 905 isformed of polyurethane memory foam.

Referring to FIG. 10, a close-up, perspective view of an embodiment ofone headgear pad 1000, according to the present disclosure, is shown.The headgear pad 1005 is formed of medium density plastic with rubbercoating.

Referring to FIG. 11, a flowchart of an embodiment of attachment of aplurality of headgear pads, according to the present disclosure, isshown. The method includes selecting pattern for placement of headgearpads onto a headgear 1160, marking the headgear with that pattern 1165,attaching a headgear pad selected from a plurality of headgear pads tothe headgear in accordance to the marking 1170 and continuing attachingheadgear pads until the pattern is complete 1175. In some embodiments,the pattern is designed such that each headgear pad contacts at leastone other headgear pad. In some other embodiments, the pattern isdesigned such that some headgear pads do not contact any other headgearpads. In some other embodiments, the pattern is designed such that noheadgear pads contact any other headgear pads.

Some embodiments include an apparatus for attachment to headgearincluding a plurality of headgear pads each having a sloped shape, eachheadgear pad having a base, an apex and a sloped portion connectedbetween the base and apex, wherein the base is adapted to be physicallyattached to the headgear.

Some other embodiments include an apparatus for attachment to headgearincluding a plurality of headgear pads each having a conical shape, eachheadgear pad having a base, an apex and a sloped portion connectedbetween the base and apex, wherein the base is adapted to be physicallyattached to the headgear.

Some still other embodiments include a method for attaching a pluralityof headgear pads to headgear for use by a wearer, the method includingselecting a pattern for placement of the plurality of headgear pads ontothe headgear, marking the headgear with the pattern, attaching a firstheadgear pad selected from a plurality of headgear pads to the headgearin accordance to the marking and continuing attaching headgear padsuntil the pattern is complete.

It will be understood that various modifications can be made to theembodiments of the present disclosure herein without departing from thespirit and scope thereof. Therefore, the above description should not beconstrued as limiting the disclosure, but merely as embodiments thereof.Those skilled in the art will envision other modifications within thescope and spirit of the invention as defined by the claims appendedhereto.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for attachment to headgear,comprising: a plurality of headgear pads having a sloped shape, eachheadgear pad having a base, an apex and a sloped portion connectedbetween the base and the apex, wherein the base is adapted to bephysically attached to the headgear.
 2. The apparatus for attachment toheadgear of claim 1, wherein at least one headgear pad is conical inshape.
 3. The apparatus for attachment to headgear of claim 1, whereinat least one headgear pad is selected from one of pyramidal andhemispherical in shape.
 4. The apparatus for attachment to headgear ofclaim 1, wherein the base of at least one headgear pad is concave. 5.The apparatus for attachment to headgear of claim 1, wherein the base ofat least one headgear pad is flat.
 6. The apparatus for attachment toheadgear of claim 1, wherein the apex of at least one headgear pad is asharp point.
 7. The apparatus for attachment to headgear of claim 1,wherein the apex of at least one headgear pad is rounded.
 8. Theapparatus for attachment to headgear of claim 1, wherein the apex of atleast one headgear pad contains an aperture.
 9. The apparatus forattachment to headgear of claim 1, wherein at least one headgear pad isformed from a material selected from one of polyurethane foam(flexible), polyurethane foam (memory), urethane, plastic with rubbercoating, medium weight plastic, a lightweight plastic mix, rubber andjelled substances.
 10. The apparatus for attachment to headgear of claim1, wherein at least one headgear pad is formed from a material selectedfrom at least two of polyurethane foam (flexible), polyurethane foam(memory), urethane, plastic with rubber coating, medium weight plastic,a lightweight plastic mix, rubber and jelled substances.
 11. Anapparatus for attachment to headgear, comprising: a plurality ofheadgear pads having a conical shape, each headgear pad having a base,an apex and a sloped portion connected between the base and the apex,wherein the base is adapted to be physically attached to the headgear.12. The apparatus for attachment to headgear of claim 11, wherein thebase of at least one headgear pad is concave.
 13. The apparatus forattachment to headgear of claim 11, wherein the base of at least oneheadgear pad is flat.
 14. The apparatus for attachment to headgear ofclaim 11, wherein the apex of at least one headgear pad is a sharppoint.
 15. The apparatus for attachment to headgear of claim 11, whereinthe apex of at least one headgear pad is rounded.
 16. The apparatus forattachment to headgear of claim 11, wherein the apex of at least oneheadgear pad contains an aperture.
 17. The apparatus for attachment toheadgear of claim 11, wherein at least one headgear pad is formed from amaterial selected from one of polyurethane foam (flexible), polyurethanefoam (memory), urethane, plastic with rubber coating, medium weightplastic, a lightweight plastic mix, rubber and jelled substances. 18.The apparatus for attachment to headgear of claim 11, wherein at leastone headgear pad is formed from a material selected from at least two ofpolyurethane foam (flexible), polyurethane foam (memory), urethane,plastic with rubber coating, medium weight plastic, a lightweightplastic mix, rubber and jelled substances.
 19. A method for attaching aplurality of headgear pads to headgear for use by a wearer, the methodcomprising the steps of: selecting a pattern for placement of theplurality of headgear pads onto the headgear; marking the headgear withthe pattern; attaching a first headgear pad selected from a plurality ofheadgear pads to the headgear in accordance to the marking; andcontinuing attaching headgear pads until the pattern is complete. 20.The method for attaching a plurality of headgear pads to headgear foruse by a wearer of claim 19, wherein the pattern specifies each headgearpad is conical and to be placed in contact with at least one otherheadgear pad onto the headgear.